75th annual Contra Costa County Fair

Despite the unusual weather, the 75th annual Contra Costa County Fair went off without a hitch. We rocked out to some great bands, awarded a host of blue ribbons to our talented county residents and ate some good (and interesting, if you swung by Jungle George's stand with his raccoon on a stick and kangaroo burgers) food.

And if you can believe it, we're already planning for next year's event. No rest for the weary!

Throughout the year we'll keep you posted on events happening at the fairgrounds, along with updates on the Fair itself as we get closer to next year's big event.

Thank you all for enjoying this longstanding tradition with us! Let us know what your favorite part was, if you won a ribbon, or if you tried George's raccoon on a stick. Leave a comment below or share your photos on facebook.

Fair Gets Mooovin'!

I can smell the corn dogs and hear the lowing of the cows as the 75th annual 2011 Contra Costa County Fair is underway. Except this year, the meaty treats inside those cozy corn cocoons include alligator and kangaroo. And some of the mooing coming from the barn is from six recently shaved and sunscreened (I'll explain later) dairy cows.

The attractions are quite varied this year. George Sandefur, known as Jungle George, will delight Contra Costa fairgoers for the first time ever with outlandish dishes including raccoon on a stick and, for the truly adventurous, kangaroo burgers, just to name a few. So make sure you bring your appetite! And local 4-H group Delta Diablo will be showing off six primped and preened dairy cows for the first time at the Contra Costa Count Fair in 20 years.

The six local girls in Delta Diablo decided to raise and show dairy cows this year simply because they'd never done it before and were looking for something new and challenging, said Brentwood resident Brenda Dominguez, whose granddaughters are both in the group. Also, the cows will retire to a dairy after they're shown, which appealed to the girls.

The group will show their heifers early Saturday morning and are pretty nervous, especially after they shaved the cows (part of the rules, Brenda says) and most of the animals got sunburned. But now that they're properly lathered with plenty of sunscreen, the girls are hoping everything goes off without a hitch.

Between the dairy cows, rocky mountain oysters, live music, midway games and everything else, the next few days will be a blast.

Come on down and see us today, Saturday and Sunday at the Fairgrounds in Antioch, to experience all the Fair has to offer!

Bonus: to see a list of ways to get free or discounted tickets, check out our website.

We'll see you at the Fair!

Top 20 things to see and do at the Fair

Summer kicks off with the Contra Costa County Fair, June 2 – 5. Don’t miss these top 20 things to see and do at the Fair:

20. Food. Everyone loves all of the great Fair favorites like corndogs, funnel cakes, caramel apples and cotton candy. Are you ready to try raccoon on a stick, kangaroo burgers, or smoked alligator ribs?


19. Exhibits. There is something for everyone’s tastes including traditional exhibits from preserved foods to homemade wine and from quilts to outdoor landscapes. Some of the kids’ exhibits include Lego creations, short stories, paintings, photographs, scrapbook pages, and jams and jellies.


18. Shopping. You’ll find so many unique and interesting items at the Fair from hand-crafted jewelry to t-shirts and personalized wood signs to designer handbags.


17. Special contests. Participate in one of our many special contests like Marshmallow creation, or You’ve Got Mail. Pre-entry is preferred but late entries may be accepted if space is
available. Details can be found in the Exhibitors Handbook online.


16. Community Building. You can visit with organizations from around the county and learn about the community we live in from exhibitors such as the Sheriff’s department, the Bee Keepers Association and the City of Antioch.

15. A World Of Music. Our totally ‘hands-on’ museum of music features several hundred instruments from around the world, drum circles throughout the day (accommodating up to seventy guest participants at a time), an ongoing Rhythm Workshop (for young and rhythmically challenged guests), a Blue Man Group Station, a Kids Band Area, and an Electronic Instrument section, featuring the amazing Beamz Laser Music Player (in which guests can conduct an entire orchestra with lasers). Our unique, unusual and historical instruments come from all corners of the globe for everyone to experience AND experiment with!


14. Dr. Solar's Good-Time Sunshine Traveling Medicine Show. In his Traveling Medicine Show, Dr. Solar has blended nostalgic arts of times past, added a bit of old-time Medicine show flair, a blend of vaudevillian showmanship, comedy, magic, a little flim-flam, and a whole lot of pizzazz. With the slapstick frolics of his “woodpile wonders”, and an assortment of animated objects, you have an inspiring show for all ages!

13. Kids Pedal Tractor Pull. It’s not everyday a kid gets a chance to become a star of a show, unless of course they’re at the Kids Pedal Tractor Pull Competitions! Kids from ages 4 to 12 are welcome to participate in a fast paced, action packed pedal tractor pull. Fast Track Entertainment, Inc. has been performing at Fairs and Festivals since 1994 and the attraction is always “tops” for audience participation, education, and down home fun!

12. Kids Town. Kids Town America is a hands-on activity zone perfect for kids of all ages! All activities in Kids Town America are family oriented for both children and parents. Parents can relax while the kids have a blast building with blocks, driving mini cars, whirling around with hula hoops, getting their faces painted, drawing on marker boards, making crafts, and even having a treasure hunt! Kids Town America is a fun and FREE attraction!


11. Livestock. The livestock barns are the heart of the Fair. Celebrate the tradition with the many youth livestock shows and at the Junior Livestock Auction on June 5 at 10 am. The animals sold at the auction have been raised and shown by the youth of Contra Costa County. A complete schedule of livestock shows can be found online at www.contracostafair.com.
Mangini Agricultural Museum. The days when Contra Costa County was mostly farms and ranches are gone, but important elements of our agricultural past are being preserved at the Mangini Agricultural Museum. Learn about our agricultural heritage and historical farm equipment, as well as the top agricultural commodities of our county, environmental issues, and facts about farm animals.

10. Flo The Clown. The one and only Flo the Clown is back! Flo and her clowning antics have been delighting audiences for more than 20 years from the West Coast of the United States to Russia, Taiwan, Japan, Korea and Singapore. She has even toured with the Yankee Doodle Circus in New York and beyond. Look for Flo riding her tricycle down the midway, carting fair guests around in her custom car, or running all the fun games and activities at the Kids Korral stage…she’s a delight to fairgoers of all ages!


9. Fables Of The West. Get ready to ride with the biggest little cowboys in the Old West! This strolling cowboy comedy team is always 100 % G-rated, family friendly, and fun. Performing at over 550 Fairs from California all the way to Alaska, these crazy cowboys have been entertaining crowds of all ages for over 10 years. Be sure to keep a look out for them and their trusty steeds during your visit to the Fair!

8. Play With Gravity. Spectators will be amazed by their motorcycle show in which riders overcome obstacles on the motorcycles using control, balance, and fitness. Showing their audiences what type of riding can be accomplished on trial motorcycles is a huge pleasure for the team. Now riding, performing, and competing all over the country, Play with Gravity is determined to fascinate audiences and push this sport to new limits.

7. Rides. When you think of the County Fair, one of the first things that come to mind is a Ferris wheel. Am I right? Well, don’t miss all of the exciting rides for all ages at the 2011 Contra Costa County Fair!


6. The Movie Stunt Adventure. An incredible and interactive attraction where you can be the STAR! Many have dreamed of being stuntmen or stuntwomen in an action movie, now for the first time ever you can be! Watch amazing jumps and high falls from real stunt professionals, then it’s your turn to take a leap! Receive a training course from a professional stunt coordinator which can qualify you to take your own high fall!

5. Wildlife Of The World. For more than 20 years, Pacific Animal Productions has been dedicated to conserving wildlife and endangered species while educating people about the wonders of wildlife. We incorporate "edu-tainment" into our presentations to engage the audience and give them a safe environment to see, touch and learn about a monkey, fox, parrot, kinkajou, alligator, snake, bugs and more! Come take a walk on the wild side!

4-2. Concerts. Kicking off the concert series is Whiskey Dawn, California's hottest country band, on Thursday June 2 at 5:30 and 7:30. The Lost Boys rock band will rock the stage on Friday June 3 at 5:30 & 7:30 followed by the ultimate 80’s experience: The Spazmatics at 9:00 pm. On June 4 you won’t want to miss the SATURDAY TRIPLE TRIBUTE with Swift Country Tribute To Taylor Swift at 5:30, Paradise City Tribute To Guns N' Roses Saturday at 7:30 and Pyromania Tribute To Def Leppard ending the night at 9:30. Finally to end the Fair, Hispanic Day Entertainment will be on the Fiesta Stage Sunday from 2:00 -8:00 featuring Bruno d Jesus- Culsillos, Komando de La Sierra, Los Kinos, Los Grandes de Tijuana and more!

And the number 1 thing to do at the Contra Costa County Fair… help us celebrate the 75th anniversary of the Contra Costa County Fair! There is so much to see and do at the Fair happening June 2 - 5, you’ll need to check out the full schedule, admission prices and hours online at http://www.contracostafair.com/!